Greatness in paradise
by WoollyOne
Summary: Modern day AU. Clove is a teenage star athlete who left her parents for her own safety and suffers from depression. When she gets the chance to go to Australia, she pools all her money to go. While there, she finds herself the object of curiosity of not just the girls, but one boy in particular too. Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games, or anything else I mention in this story
1. Chapter 1

I hear the steady beeping of my alarm and my eyes flutter open sleepily. I roll over and check the time: six in the morning. I start to wonder why the hell I've set my alarm so early, then I sit bolt upright, remembering exactly why: today's the day America's top junior athletes in individual sports/events fly out to Australia for a sporting camp in Sydney, and I'm one of them. I'm in for two events; I'm going for javelin, and 200m. It sounds like an odd combination, but that's just what works for me. I have an hour until the bus gets here, and I still need to pack my suitcase. Ever since I was allowed emancipation from my parents last year, I've had to earn my own money. I couldn't find a job, so I busk for my money in the malls. The only thing my parents pay for now are my school fees and uniform costs, and the bills for my house. I'm a freshman at the Lawrenceville School, the most expensive high school in America. They have a really good sports program there, and it was my idea to go there, my parents just agreed. I was emancipated just after I turned 14, at the end of middle school, so they let me decide which high school I wanted to go to and they didn't really care either. They're loaded anyway, living in a huge mansion, so my school fees weren't really a problem, but I had to find a way to get there and back from my place and I had to pay for it. I bought a tiny house for myself with the money they gave me when I left. They didn't want to, but it was the judge's orders that they give me $100,000 to get myself started. I didn't have time to grab much before I left though, because my parents threw all my stuff outside and threw gas on it and set fire to it. The only thing I had time to grab was my guitar. I had it custom made when I was 13, before I left my parents, costing me about $5000. It's the most valuable thing I own. I left my parents because it wasn't safe to live with them anymore. They were abusive ever since they found out that I had a boyfriend. I'd just turned 14, was still in middle school, and he was 17, and we'd been going out for about two months before they found out. He walked me home from school one day and gave me a kiss goodbye. Neither of us knew my parents were watching, and that's how the whole mess started. They said I was too young and they thought we'd had sex, and he broke up with me the next day. They started abusing me, hitting me and kicking me and swearing at me, and I'd gone to school with a black eye. He asked what was wrong and I told him that they'd been abusing me after they found out I was going out with him, he took it the wrong way and thought it was his fault and I was blaming him for it, and he dumped me. I got home that afternoon and I got in another fight with my parents, and then I requested emancipation. It took two weeks, but it was finally official. I grabbed my guitar and left, moving into the tiny house that I'd bought a couple of days earlier. It took a long time, and it still isn't a real home, but it's better than living on the streets.

I struggle out of bed and walk into the kitchen and make myself a slice of toast. The bread's terrible cheap stuff, but it's all I can afford. I get about $250 a week from busking, but I only end up with around $50 after I pay for my private athletics coaching and psychology sessions. The entire time I've been here, I've been buying the cheapest food, just so I'd have the chance to pay for this trip to Australia. I spread some butter and jam on my toast and pour myself a glass of orange juice. I finish eating in about five minutes, then go back to my bedroom, still in my pyjamas, and quickly pack my suitcase. I throw in some casual clothes and all my training clothes, some shoes, my spikes in their bag, and some other clothes in case we go out somewhere, plus any other little things I need like my phone charger. Then I lay out some clothes to go to the airport in. I grab a skin-tight purple Asics singlet, some grey Adidas trackpants and my black Vans. I look out the window and decide to grab a white Columbia softshell jacket with grey stripes up the arms and zip as well, then go to the bathroom to take a shower. I glance at my clock and see that I still have half an hour before the bus arrives. I take off my pyjamas and step under the water, wetting my hair and reaching for my favourite shampoo. I finish off with my favourite conditioner, then quickly shave and then turn off the water and dry myself off. I still have twenty minutes until the bus comes, so I decide to straighten my hair too. I finish drying my hair and put my clothes on, then grab my hair straightener and plug it in. While it's heating up, I run a brush through my hair and clean my teeth, tossing my toothbrush in my suitcase when I'm done. My straightener beeps, and I go over to it and start straightening.

As I do this, I start daydreaming about what Australia will be like. I remember that it's summer over there, so I make a mental note to pack my bikini in case we go to one of the incredible beaches there. I wince as the straightener accidentally makes contact with my skin, but keep going. As I finish with my hair, I run the brush through my hair again, quickly, then toss the brush in my suitcase and wait for my straightener to cool down. I pull my hair into a high ponytail and pack my backpack to take on the plane as carry-on. I fill my Nike drink bottle with water and put that in, tossing in a muesli bar as well. I take my i-Pod out of my drawer and put that in too, then hunt around for my noise cancelling headphones. Once I find them, they follow the i-Pod into the backpack. I put my passport and ticket in too, and put my itinerary in as well. I slip my phone into the pocket of my trackpants then go back to the bathroom to check on my straightener. It seems to be cool enough, so I put it in its case and put it in my suitcase. I toss a couple of other little things in my backpack then slip my watch around my wrist. I have five minutes until the bus comes, then I realise I'm forgetting something. We were told that we had to wear our school shirts over whatever other shirt we were wearing so everyone else knows what school we're from. I take off my jacket and open the door of my wardrobe and pull out my red Lawrenceville t-shirt and slip it on over my singlet, then pull my jacket back on. I zip up my suitcase and backpack, then pull out the handle of my suitcase. I sling my backpack over one shoulder, grab my guitar in my right hand and pull my suitcase behind me with my left. As I step outside into the cold wind, I turn and lock the front door behind me. A minute later the bus pulls up in front of the house, the doors open, and my trainer, Enobaria, strides out. She lifts up the door underneath the bus, and I find a spot for my suitcase and guitar. She slams the door shut again and holds out her hand. I take it, and we shake firmly, and she claps me on the back.

"Excellent to see you Clove," she says. "Excited about the trip?"

"Definitely Coach!" I say happily. "Thankyou for giving me the opportunity."

"You're the one that trained so hard for this remember. Now hop on the bus and relax until we get to New York. Have you got your ticket and passport?"

"Yes Coach."

"Good. Now hop on."

I have to take a small jump to get on the bus because of my size, but I still manage to get on. I see a seat towards the back and walk down the aisle until I reach it. I swing my bag under the seat and sit down. I feel someone gently tap me on the shoulder and I turn around and find myself staring into a pair of intelligent grey eyes.

"Hi. I'm Katniss. Katniss Everdeen," she says, holding out her hand. I decide to take it, make a good impression.

"Clove," I say simply. I haven't used my last name since I was emancipated; I wasn't proud of it. The school knows it, so does my psychologist and my athletics coaches do too. But I don't use it. I don't want to share the name of my parents.

"Don't you have a last name?" she says quizzically, head tilted slightly to one side.

"I do. I just choose not to use it."

"Well what is it then? You don't have to use it."

"Murphy. My last name's Murphy, OK?" I say, a hint of anger in my voice.

"OK, it was just a question," she says defensively. "Don't you have parents or something? No-one came out to say goodbye to you."

"I do have parents, but I was emancipated when I was fourteen," I say quietly.

"Why did they make you leave?"

"It was my choice; they didn't force me to do anything. They were abusive. I didn't want to be around them any more. I have my own house, and I earn my own money."

"So what school do you go to? If you have to earn your own money…" she trails off.

"Actually," I begin, "I go to the Lawrenceville School. They pay for my school fees and uniform and bills for my house, but I pay for everything else."

"That must be pretty cool, not having any parents."

"It's alright."

"So what are you here for?"

"Javelin and 200m. You?"

"Archery. I'm sixteen, by the way. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"You don't look it.""Just because I'm small, doesn't mean I'm not a winner."

"I believe you," she pauses for a moment before continuing. "So… do you have a boyfriend?"

"I did, but that's why I left my parents."

"Katniss!" a voice squeals, as I notice we've made another stop. Katniss and I must have been talking for longer than I realised.

"Glimmer!" Katniss squeals in return. "Oh my gosh, it's been ages!"

"I know!" she continues in the same annoying voice. "Who's your friend?"

"Glimmer, this is Clove."

"Hi, I'm Glimmer. Glimmer Anderson," she says while holding out her hand. I take it, again, not wanting to seem hostile.

"Clove," I say nonchalantly, not using my last name. Glimmer looks at me as if expecting more, but then appears to decide that I'm not going to continue.

"I'm here for archery. What are you here for?"

"Javelin and 200m," I say in the same voice.

"Cool!" she exclaims, then starts talking to Katniss. I pull my i-Pod out of my bag and dig my headphones out too. I grab my muesli bar as well and gnaw on that. I plug my headphones into the jack of my i-Pod and slip them over my ears and shuffle through my playlists until I find my relaxing one. It start with Set Me On Fire by Bella Ferraro. It just registers in my mind that she's Australian, before the words surround me.

_Set me on fire with,_

_Endless words,_

_To show my worth,_

_You take me to a place I've never known._

_Set me on fire with,_

_Silent kisses,_

_Like the sunset,_

_Darkness is our playground we call,_

_Home._

I wake to the sound of excited yells, and realise we're at the airport. I turn off my music and unplug my headphones then stuff them both back in my bag. The bus pulls up, and everyone starts standing up, until Coach Enobaria stands up and orders us all to sit. It's at this point that I realise I'm not only the only person from the Lawrenceville School here, but I'm also the only person from my athletics club too. Enobaria tells us that we have to be on our best behaviour, and that there's another bus that's just arrived. Once she gets off, we all grab our bags and jump off the bus to grab our other stuff. I spot my distinctive purple suitcase easily, and my guitar's the only one there. I grab both of them and walk back over to Katniss, seeing as she's the only one I know here. When everyone has their bags, we walk into the airport with the group from the other bus in a huge mob. As we walk through the airport, the people at the front of the group stop and stare at something. Whispers slowly spread through the group, and I eventually find out what's going on.

"_Nicki Minaj."_

"_It's Nicki Minaj."_

"_Over there, by the vending machine."_

"_It's her for sure.""The hair's a dead giveaway.""Who else has hair that's bright orange and fluffy?"_

"What's the hold-up?" Coach Enobaria says impatiently.

"_It's Nicki Minaj," everyone whispers together._

"_I don't care if the Queen and her corgis are here, we need to keep moving," she says with the same impatient tone. We stay where we are, just watching as Nicki disappears from sight. "Move it!" Coach Enobaria says loudly. We slowly begin walking again, and for the second time today I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder. _

_I turn around slowly and find myself face to face with an enchanting pair of ice-blue eyes._


	2. Chapter 2

"Hi, I'm Cato. Cato Hasselback," the blue-eyed boy says to me, tentatively holding out his hand with a smile.

"Clove," I say a little uncertainly, taking his hand and forcing a small smile onto my face. "I didn't see you before. Were you on the other bus?" I'm not normally one to ask questions, but for some reason I want to know a bit more about Cato.

"Yeah, I was on the other bus. Don't you have a last name?"

Again with the last name. "I do have a last name, I just choose not to use it." I pause for a second, then continue. "It's Murphy though. If you wanted to know."

He nods. "Well, I hope I'll be seeing you soon, Clove Murphy." He smiles.

I smile back. "The same to you, Cato Hasselback."

He drops back to his friends, and I walk back to Katniss and Glimmer, seeing as they're the only people I know. Pretty soon we're all ready, our luggage on the plane, and we're about to board. I look up at the flying kangaroo on the tail of the QANTAS jet. I've never been on a plane before; my parents never took me with them when they went on a holiday. They always just got me a nanny when I was little, but when I was older they just left me at home with some money for food. I step onto the plane and find my seat. It's next to the window, and no one's sitting in the row already, so I don't have to step over anybody. I sit down and glance out the window. Not particularly exciting. Everyone gets on and there's a red-haired girl that looks a little older than me sitting next to me. She doesn't say anything to me, so I don't say anything to her. We're told all about the safety procedures, and where the nearest exits are, and pretty soon we're ready to take off. As we taxi down the runway, I grab a piece of gum from my bag and start chewing, but the girl next to me doesn't have any, so she just sits there. We reach the end of the runway and rise into the air, and I look out the window as we go. After a few seconds, JFK looks no bigger than a Lego block. After a minute, all I see are clouds, so I try to get some sleep. I pull my headphones and i-Pod out again and flip through my playlists. I choose my relaxing playlist and set it to shuffle. It starts playing Adele's Someone Like You. I slowly fall asleep to the gentle piano and vocals.

_Never mind I'll find,_

_Someone like you._

_I wish nothing but the best,_

_For you two._

_Don't forget me,_

_I beg._

_I'll remember you said,_

_Sometimes it last and loves but sometimes it hurts instead._

_Sometimes it lasts and loves but sometimes it hurts instead._

_I wake up as I feel a sudden dropping feeling, and take off my headphones and put them, and my i-Pod, in my bag. I look at the flight tracker on the back of the seat and see that we haven't quite reached Sydney yet, we still have about half an hour left; I must have slept through the entire 23 hour flight. A voice comes over the intercom telling us that it's just turbulence. A few people are reaching for their sick bags, but even though I've never experienced it before, it doesn't faze me. In fact it's quite an interesting feeling. It stops after a few minutes, and pretty soon we have to put our seatbelts back on to land. I grab another piece of gum and start chewing. This time the girl next to me does something._

"_Um," she says sheepishly, not quite looking at me. "Could I have a piece of gum? I forgot to bring some."_

"_Sure," I say, holding out the pack._

_She takes a piece and starts chewing. "Thanks. I'm Finch, by the way. Finch Amberson."_

"_No problem. I'm Clove."_

"_Nice to meet you Clove. What are you here for?"_

"_Javelin and 200 metres. What about you?"_

"_I'm here for the 100 metres."_

_Our conversation sort of dies out, and we end up sitting in silence. After we've got off the plane and got our bags, we wait outside the airport for the bus. Once we get outside, I'm struck by the intense heat, and it appears that everyone else is too, since they're all shrugging their jackets off. I debate whether to take my jacket off or not, but eventually decide that I should, seeing as the ground's shimmering in the heat. I reluctantly slip out of my jacket and stuff it in my backpack, then cross my arms, hiding my wrists._

_About a month after I left my parents I was diagnosed with depression and anorexia. I started cutting and starving myself. It was a rough few months, but after I started getting weekly psychology sessions I've been better. I still don't eat much, but that's because of my budget, and even though I don't eat much, I eat all the right things, and I don't cut as much anymore. I only cut when things get really bad, but I still do it. I stand on my own, having made enough acquaintances for today. I look over at Cato's massive form standing with some of his friends, all wearing the same shirts, and they're all laughing together. Cato notices me staring at him, and he stares back. I look away quickly, and he looks at me for a second longer before turning back to his friends. The bus arrives and we put our bags in the storage space under the bus then hop on. The trip to the hotel doesn't take long, and pretty soon we're pulling up and getting our bags out of the bus. We go into the hotel and get our room numbers and keys, and we find out that there's two people to a room. All the girls are on the top floor, and the boys on the floor below. On the floor underneath that, there's a small kitchen, a games room, and a room with a huge TV surrounded by couches and recliners where we can just hang out. I grab my key and get in the elevator and press the button for the top floor. All the other girls are still in the foyer seeing who's rooming with who, but I just want to get up to my room. I look at the tag on my key and see that I'm in room 10/10, the room at the end of the corridor on the top floor; the level comes first, the room, going from the lift at one end of the corridor to the other end. I drag my suitcase behind me as I walk at a steady pace towards my room. I reach the door and twist the key in the lock, and the door pops open. I pull the key out of the lock and walk inside, my eyes scanning the room as I go. The first thing I see as I enter is the colossal window above the two beds, starting just above the bedheads. I go and stand beside the bed and look out at the beautiful beach. From memory, I think it's called Bondi, but I'm not quite sure. I'll have to check at some point._

_I look at the beds and smile at the cute doona covers on them; they must have picked them out especially for us. They're white with multicoloured spots all over them, with matching pillowcases, and a hot pink fitted sheet. I stand my suitcase against the wall and dump my backpack in the corner. I carefully stand my guitar against the wall, and then hear the doorknob being twisted. I whip my head around to look at the door, wondering if my roommate's someone I've already met, or if I have to make yet another friend. I don't really like making friends, I prefer to be alone. The door gets pushed open gently, and the red-haired girl from the plane walks through the door. She doesn't say anything, just smiles slightly, remembering who I am. At least I don't have to try and make another friend. She puts her bags down and glances at my guitar._

"_You play?" she asks me, sounding genuinely inquisitive._

"_Yeah, I have for about ten years now. I sing too," I say, a subtle hint of pride in my voice. "Do you play anything?" I ask after a moment of thought._

"_No," she says, flipping a hand in front of her. "I used to think that it might be interesting to learn something, but my sport took up too much of my time, and I lost interest in it. I'd like to hear you play sometime," she says quietly, giving me another of her small smiles._

_I smile back. "Sure, I'll play for you sometime."_

"_That'd be nice," she says, then turns to her suitcase and starts unpacking._

_I turn to mine and start doing the same. After a quick glance at hers, I notice that it's quite a bit bigger than mine, but I don't really care. I have what I can afford, and that's enough for me. I stack my clothes on the shelves of the small wardrobe on my side of the room, the one closest to the end of the hotel. The ensuite of our room is on the other side, Finch's side. The door is on Finch's side too, and the flat screen TV, not a huge screen, rests on a wall bracket in the middle of the wall, the remote in a holder on the wall next to it. I notice the heat in the room and walk over to the window. I feel eyes on my back and turn to Finch._

"_You mind?" I ask her. "It's a bit hot in here."_

"_Go ahead," she says, nodding._

_I open the window, noticing the flyscreen covering it. I sniff, smelling the salt from the sea. It smells good, and I decide that I'm going to like it here._

_I'm going to like it here a lot._


	3. Chapter 3

I go back to my wardrobe and look for something to wear for the afternoon, seeing as training doesn't begin until tomorrow morning. I look over at Finch to see what she's wearing, and she's got a pair of trackpants and a t-shirt. I look back in my wardrobe and decide on a pair of grey sweats and an orange racer-back tank-top. I glance at Finch, and she speaks to me.

"We have to wear our school tops for the afternoon so they all know where we're from," she says.

"Where are you from?" I ask her as I rummage around for my top.

She holds up her shirt. "I'm a sophomore at the Nightingale-Bamford School. What about you?"

I hold my top up. "I'm a freshman at the Lawrenceville School."

We both slip into our tops and I put on my black Vans and we shove our keys in our pockets and head down to the eighth floor. We're some of the last to arrive, and Finch takes me over to a group of girls from her school. We exchange greetings and they tell me that their school is an all-girls private school. The conversation turns into one about what they all got for Christmas, all very expensive presents, so I decide to leave. I don't see Katniss or Glimmer anywhere, but I do see Cato standing on his own in the kitchenette with a can of lemonade. I walk over to him and he plasters a boyish grin on his face as he sees me.

"Hey Clove!" he says, pointing at my shirt. "What school?"

"I'm from the Lawrenceville School. What about you?"

"Brooklyn College Academy," he hoots, gesturing to a couple of his friends from the bus to the hotel. "What event are you here for Clove?"

"I'm here for javelin and 200 metres, what about you Cato?"

"Wow, two events," he says, sounding impressed. "I'm here for weightlifting."

"Impressive. How long have you been doing that for?"

"Since I was thirteen; I'm eighteen now. How old are you?"

"Fifteen; I've been doing athletics since I was about six."

"Committed," he says, once again sounding impressed.

"So how many people do you know here?" I ask him.

"Six from my school, and a couple of others I met on the bus and at other competitions," he says, pointing out a group of well-muscled older boys and a couple of girls to me. "And all of the people from my school that are here, we kind of have… nicknames," he adds, looking a little embarrassed.

"So which of those are from your school?" I ask him, looking at the boys and girls.

"The black guy is Thresh, he does weightlifting with me and he's eighteen, and we all call him Ox because he's so big. The tall tanned guy with the bronze hair is Finnick, but we call him Fish, since he's such a good swimmer, and he turns eighteen in a couple of days. That big dark-haired guy is Gale, the archer. We call him Hawkeye though, because he used to read the comics when he was younger, and he's also best friends with Katniss. The blonde haired guy is Peeta, and he's a really good wrestler. He's seventeen and his parents own a bakery and he works there with them. We call him Lover Boy, since he's got a massive crush on someone from our school, but he won't tell us who. Katniss, the dark-haired girl next to them, is an archer and she's sixteen and she lives with her mum and her little sister Prim, who's twelve; their dad died in a mining accident when Katniss was eleven. It killed Gale's dad as well, and everyone calls her Catnip; when Gale met her she was so scared of him the he didn't hear her name properly. The tiny black girl is Rue, and she's twelve and a gymnast. She's best friends with Prim, that's why she's sticking so close to Katniss. We call her Spider-monkey, because she can climb really well; it's actually quite funny to watch."

"Yeah, I met Katniss on the bus," I tell him, nodding.

"So how many people do you know here?" He asks me.

"Well there's no one here from my school or my club, but I do know Katniss and her friend Glimmer. And you."

"How the hell did you meet Glimmer?" he asks me incredulously.

"I sat in front of Katniss on the bus, and Glimmer sat with her when she got on. Why?"

"I went out with her once," he says, shaking his head and laughing. "I found out after a couple of weeks that she was just trying to get in my pants. She'd already done it a couple of times before I found out as well."

"I see," I say, looking at her a little differently than I had before.

"Yeah, well, she's a slut anyway. A couple of days after I dumped her she was already going out with another guy."

"What the hell! Why would she do that?"

He shrugs. "I don't know, but I've hardly spoken to her since."

"It must have been tough on you," I say apologetically.

"No, not really," he says with a smile. "I just kind of got over it."

The conversation kind of just stops there, and we stand together in an awkward silence, until Cato suggests that we go over to the people from his school to meet them. I agree, and we walk over together, the circle that's formed expanding so we can fit in.

"Who's the girl Killer?" Finnick asks.

"Killer?" I whisper to Cato.

"I'll explain later," he whispers back.

"Well?" Finnick presses.

"Why don't you let her introduce herself?" Katniss asks, smiling at me. I didn't even notice that I was standing next to her.

"I'm Clove," I say, trying to put as much confidence in my voice as possible.

"Nice to meet you Clove," Peeta says, extending a hand to me, which I take. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," I reply, before continuing. "I'm small for my age," I explain, the puzzled looks on everyone's faces disappearing, to be replaced by smiles.

"So what are you here for Clove?" Thresh asks in a deep voice.

"Javelin and 200 metres," I tell him.

He laughs, shaking his head in what I assume to be disbelief. "Two events? Two entirely different events? Seriously?"

"I've been doing athletics for about nine years, and they were the two events that I was best at, and I couldn't choose between them, so I just get put down for both of them every time."

"You must be really talented then," Rue says, looking at me with big, round eyes.

Everyone stops talking then and just listens, as we hear a beeping noise.

"Alright, whose phone?" Gale says with a massive grin.

"Mine," Katniss says, smiling back at him. "I'll take it outside."

She pulls out her i-Phone and walks out the door as she starts talking. We continue our conversation, talking about home, family, pets, that kind of thing; until Katniss runs back into the room.

"Rue!" she squeals. "You'll never guess who's about to board a flight to Sydney!"

"Who? Who?" she asks, absorbing Katniss' excitement.

"Prim!"

"Oh my God! Why?"

"One of the medics had to pull out because his wife was pregnant, and they never found a replacement. They decided to let Prim come, since she's so interested in medicine."

"That's awesome! Does that mean that I'll be sharing a room with her?"

"Yep! She's really excited!"

"I can't wait! When does she get here?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Katniss admits. "I don't know how long the flight is."

"24 hours," I say quietly. "A direct flight from New York to Sydney takes 24 hours."

"Well she'll be here about this time tomorrow then," Katniss says happily.

"I'm so excited!" Rue exclaims, jumping up and down.

And I'm pretty excited too.


	4. Chapter 4

After a couple of hours of talking with Cato's friends, we get called down for lunch, and we all rush downstairs to see what the dining hall is like. We reach the door first and look in at the tables. They look like park benches and each looks like they'd seat about ten people comfortably. Our group runs in and sits down at a table in the back corner of the room. There are nine of us sitting at the table today: Me, Cato, Rue, Katniss, Thresh, Finnick, Peeta, Gale and Glimmer. Prim will probably sit with us for lunch tomorrow, and we wait patiently as the room fills with people. Pretty soon everyone's arrived and the coaches and teachers are standing at the front of the room with a few other people that I don't recognise. One woman is wearing a bright magenta dress with a wig powdered with the same colour and a giant fake flower in it. She has make-up caked on, and she looks like a bit of a clown. I can see a lot of people stifling laughs, and people are still talking, generally ignoring her.

"Excuse me!" she crows in a ridiculous accent while clapping her hands.

Everyone falls silent and stares at this strange woman, and not a single person makes a sound.

"Thankyou Effie, I'll take it from here," another man says, and he looks just as ridiculous as the lady called Effie in his dark blue sparkly suit with bright blue hair and eyebrows. "Hello everybody, my name is Caesar Flickerman, and I'm perfectly happy for you to call me Caesar. This lady here is Effie Trinket, I'm sure she'll allow you to call her Effie, and we are your hosts for this trip. Before you go to get your lunch, we'd just like to have a quick talk to you about things like rules, timetables and what you're allowed to do here."

"I'll take it from here, Caesar," another lady says loudly. She has a mean looking face and unnaturally monotonous hair. "My name is Alma Coin, and I'm here to look after the girls during this trip and Haymitch Abernathy here on my right will be looking after the boys. I just want to quickly talk about the house rules while you're here. I'll be quick; because I'm sure you're starving by now. First and foremost, no switching rooms and no boys in girls' rooms and no girls in boys rooms; if you want to catch up, you can do it in the lounge room. If you're going to be going anywhere around town or down to the beach, tell one of us so we know where you are at all times. And also, keep to the top three levels; we don't want to disturb any of the other guests. That's pretty much it, so you can all go and grab some food."

Everyone scrambles out of their seats and dashes to the tables where all the food is. It turns out that we're having sandwiches today, and everything we need is laid out on these tables. I make myself a ham and cheese sandwich and put it in the sandwich toaster since I haven't had a toasted sandwich in years. I pour myself a cup of lime cordial as well, then go and sit back down at our table. Only a couple of people have already finished getting their lunch, and Cato finishes after a couple of minutes and comes and sits next to me. It's a bit of a squish, and when the rest of the table comes back they all wolf whistle at us, and I blush, feeling a little embarrassed that they think of us like that. We eat our lunch, and then start talking once we're finished, before Effie claps her hands, demanding our attention.

"It is now one o'clock," she tells us. "At two o'clock you are to be waiting in here for further direction in regards to this afternoon. Atala here will tell you what you need to bring."

"Thankyou Effie," a tall black woman says. "My name is Atala, and I am in charge of your gym schedule. At two, you must be waiting outside with a bag containing runners, suitable gym clothes, a towel and a drink bottle to go to the gym for your first session. When you get down here, there will be an assortment of food for you to take. We won't be back here until six, and dinner is at seven. You can go now, and I'll see you back here in one hour."

We all stand up and wander back to the lift and eight of us manage to squish in it; me being the lucky one that isn't quick enough to get in. I really don't want to go in a lift by myself, and I think Cato must be a mind reader, because he steps out and doesn't let me go in his place; he picks me up and carries me in. Peeta wolf whistles at us, and Cato takes one arm out from under me and punches him in the arm. Once the doors close, we go up to the boys' level and the boys get out, and Cato brings me out for a second and whispers something in my ear.

"Pack your bag and meet me in the games room, OK? I want to talk to you about something important."

I nod slightly and head back into the lift, and in a matter of seconds we're on our floor, and I go straight to my room and pack my bag quickly. I grab my purple Nike duffle bag and put in my bright orange and blue Nike Free 5.0 runners, my black skin-tight Nike knee-length shorts, my purple Nike racer-back tank top, and a pair of white Nike socks, and I throw in my Nike drink bottle as well. In case you haven't already noticed, I buy a lot of Nike stuff; there's an outlet near my house, so pretty much all my sports gear is Nike. After I've packed my bag, I quickly get dressed, wondering what Cato wants to talk to me about. I slip on my grey Nike crop pants that come about a third of the way down my shins, my white Nike Santa Monica tank top, a pair of white Nike socks and my blue Nike hi-tops that have a bit of orange on them. Again, I like my Nike stuff. I grab my blue and white Nike basketball snapback cap and sit it on top of my bag as Finch walks through the door.

"Hey," she says. "I see you got changed."

"Yeah, are you going to?"

"I guess so; all the other girls are changing."

"Can you make sure no one comes in and touches my stuff? I've got to meet someone."

"Sure. Who are you meeting?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I say with a cheeky grin. She smiles back and I dash out the door before backpedalling quickly to poke my head back through the door. "Thanks," I say before running back to the lift.

I push the button for the eighth floor and wait as I descend, and when I get out, I see Cato lounging in a beanbag, the sole occupant of the room. I walk over to him and flop into the other beanbag, noticing that he's changed his clothes too. He's wearing a pair of boardies and a tight muscle shirt, a pair of thongs, and his sunnies are perched on his head.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" I ask him.

"Well there's something I think I need to tell you. Something kind of important," he says, looking directly into my eyes. I don't normally let people look into my eyes; I feel too exposed, but now I just look back at him, my focus never wavering.

"What is it?" I ask, wondering what could be so important.

"Clove," he says before pausing for a moment before continuing, appearing to choose his words carefully, "I know I only met you yesterday, but it feels like there's something connecting us."

"I've felt the same strange sort of thing when I've been around you too," I say quietly, not sure where this is all going.

"Clove, I like you," he says quietly after a few moments of silence. "In fact," he pauses again, "I think I might be in love with you."

"We only met yesterday," I say relatively tonelessly. I don't want to embarrass him, but I don't really know what else to say.

"I know, but I always feel good when I'm around you, and I just feel connected to you."

"It makes me feel safe when I'm around you," I admit.

"There's just one thing I need to know though. Do you feel the same way about me?"

I don't know what to say, but there's still the fact that he makes me feel safe and happy, and that I can look into his eyes, and it does feel like there's a connection between us.

"I think I do," I say quietly, still looking into his ice-blue eyes.

"Then there's something I want to do," he says, even quieter than me. "Feel free to slap me afterwards."

And he leans in and kisses me.


	5. Chapter 5

He gently kisses my lips, only for a second, before pulling away, blushing slightly, and walking back to the lift. He gives me a small smile as I sit stunned for a minute. I had no idea he was going to do that, and as I sit there for a full five minutes, I mull over my options. I decide to not say anything about it and just leave it up to Cato as to what he wants to say about it. I wander slowly back to the lift and back to my room, grabbing my bag and going back to the lift since it's five to two. I get in the lift and go down one level before the lift stops to let one of the boys in. I move over once I notice the doors opening, but then notice that it's Cato. I'm not angry at him for what he did though, just confused. He looks a little embarrassed when he realises that it's me, but he gets in anyway. We stand in silence for a moment until my curiosity gets the better of me.

"Why?"

"I don't know, Clove," he says quietly. "I just wanted to see what you'd do. I really feel like there's something between us that I can't figure out."

"I feel that too, Cato," I reply, making sure I don't sound accusing. "I just wouldn't have done that so soon."

"I'm sorry," he whispers, looking down at his shoes. "I didn't mean to make you feel this way."

I pause for a moment. "I never said I didn't like it."

He lifts his head to look at me. "So you don't feel bad?"

"No."

"You don't hate me?"

"Why would I? I think you're amazing."

"So what exactly are we now?" he asks me.

"You tell me. You're the one that kissed me."

"Well I don't know. We could either be awkward friends that kissed, or we could be a couple."

"I think we should be a couple," I say quietly. "There is something special between us, even though neither of us can work it out."

"So we're a couple now?"

"Yeah," I say, giving him a smile, "I guess we are."

The lift doors open now, and we step out together, Cato gently entwining his fingers in mine. As we walk over to our little group, they stare for a minute before acting normally again. But before Glimmer turns around, she shoots me a dirty look, flipping her hair around and completely ignoring me. I wonder what I've done, but Cato pulls me away to get some food. While we're choosing what to take, he explains Glimmer to me.

"Don't worry about Glimmer," he tells me. "She still likes me, but just for my abs." He winks at me. "I hate her though. She's a bitch, so just ignore her. A word of warning though, she's going to hate you. Just ignore her and it'll be fine."

"Well you know her better than I do, so I guess I'm going to have to trust you."

"Let's get some food though; apparently the training's brutal."

"Great," I say sarcastically.

I grab a couple of muesli bars and stuff them in my bag and fill up my drink bottle with Gatorade and put that back in my bag too, and at that point, Atala enters the room.

"You should all be packed and ready," she says loudly to be heard across the room. "Is there anybody who isn't here that should be?"

We all scan the room, nobody noticing anyone missing. Effie does a head count to make sure that we're all here, but a puzzled look appears on her face, only to be replaced by distress.

"One is missing," she cries dramatically. "Who is it? Everybody find your roommate."

I look around and notice that Finch is nowhere to be seen.

"Finch is missing," I say. "Do you want me to try and find her?"

"Yes dear," Effie says. "Do run, though; we're on quite a tight schedule. I'll meet you outside."

Cato takes my bag and I run to the lift, but find it in use, so I run for the stairs. I leap up them two at a time, having run up the stairs at the mall for a workout since I didn't have a treadmill or anything once I left my parents. I reach the top of the two flights in under a minute and jog to my door, checking there first. I don't receive an answer, but she could be asleep or something like that, so I take my key and unlock the door. I hear a moan from the bathroom and dash in, finding Finch slumped next to the toilet looking a ghostly shade of white.

"Finch! What happened? Are you alright?"

"I think I just ate something that was a bit off. I'll able to go to training though," she says weakly.

"I think you might want to go to a doctor or something first," I say cautiously. "You don't look too good."

"Honestly, I'm fine," she says slightly angrily. "Just don't tell anyone, please. I don't want them thinking I just staged something so I didn't have to go."

"Finch, you threw up! You're not well! I have to tell someone!"

She stands up swiftly and I back away, scared of her sudden anger. "Don't you tell anyone about this, Clove! I'll be fine, so move and let me get my stuff!"

I sigh in resignation, not wanting to anger the older girl any more, and move out of the doorway to let her get her things. We go back down in the lift and Effie raises an eyebrow, and I lie quickly.

"She was jetlagged and just fell asleep when she got back to our room," I quickly improvise.

Effie seems satisfied and we walk out the door to the bus, and I glance up at Finch.

"Quick thinking," she whispers. "Nice job."

"Thanks," I reply. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened up there, I was just really worried about you. One of my friends at school, her name was Lizzie and she graduated two years ago, she was meant to be helping the teacher in our Health class as part of her final examination, and she wasn't there. They sent our whole class out looking for her and I found her in the bathrooms, vomiting, and she found out the next day that she was pregnant," I say. "I'm not judging you or anything," I add hastily. "I just get a bit anxious when someone starts spewing for no apparent reason."

"That's OK, the same thing happened to one of the people in my class. She was meant to be in the year above me, and she was a real slut. She slept around heaps and she spewed in the middle of class once. She took a pregnancy test when she went to the bathrooms to get cleaned up and found out that one of the guys she'd been with had got her pregnant. The best part was that the teacher was telling us about how to avoid teen pregnancy when it happened."

We start laughing together and it appears that all has been forgiven.

"Do you have someone to sit with on the bus?" she asks me as we reach the bus.

"Yeah," I say simply, not wanting anyone to know about Cato and I yet. "Do you?"

"Yeah, I'm sitting with my friends from my school."

I let her get on first and step on afterwards, and see Cato sitting at the back on a seat that he's saved for me. I make my way over the piles of bags to the back of the bus and sit down next to Cato on the seat in front of the backseat. Gale, Peeta, Thresh, Finnick and one other guy I don't know are sitting on the backseat. I nudge Cato and gesture to this new guy and he explains.

"His name's Marvel. He does javelin and apparently he's pretty good."

"I see," I say, nodding. "So have you told anyone about us?"

"No, not yet," he says before a cheeky grin spreads across his face. "But if you don't want to tell them directly, we could always give them a few hints."

Before I can say anything he's picked me up as if I weigh as much as a cushion and sat me on his lap, cradling me gently in his arms. The guys wolf whistle at us again, but Cato doesn't react this time, just shrugs. We stay like this for the entire bus ride, everyone around us growing used to our closeness. When the bus stops, everyone gets off and walks into the gym, heading straight for the change rooms, but I'm stopped by a strong, yet feminine feeling hand gripping my shoulder and spinning me around. I turn to see Katniss staring at me with curiosity in her smoky grey eyes.

"What are you doing with Cato?" she asks me.

"What do you mean?" I reply, wondering why she feels like she should know what's going on.

"You just met him and you're already sitting on his lap when everybody's on the bus."

"Why do you care? I only just met you too."

"I know Cato," she says looking me in the eye a moment before I look away. "Whatever he said to you, he'll change his mind about it; I can guarantee you that."

"I don't care, Katniss," I say through gritted teeth, angry with her remarks about Cato.

"Hey, cool it, will you," she says defensively. "I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't need help!"

"Just don't make the wrong decision, OK?" she says quietly.

I don't respond, so she walks inside and I follow a few seconds later, wanting to put some space between us. Her remarks have made me so angry that I storm into the change rooms and throw my bag onto the nearest space on a bench and turn to Katniss, not caring that there are so many other people are here.

"How dare you!" I yell, shoving her against the wall.

"Clove, calm down!" she yells back, fear evident in her eyes. "I know you're angry, but just calm down!"

"You had no right to say that!" I scream in her face. "This is my life and nobody but me controls it!"

"I can say what I want!" she yells. "You can't tell me what to do, either!"

This last remark fills me with rage and I reach into my back pocket and flip out the blade of the knife I keep on me at all times, pressing it hard against her throat and smirking when I see the fear taking over her. I hear someone running out of the room and catch a glimpse of fiery hair and can only assume that Finch is getting Effie. Katniss struggles against me, but her slim build is a disadvantage here; I'm a muscular build, and I'm stronger than her, easily slamming her back against the wall once again, the blade of my knife pressing harder against her skin, feeling her fast, shallow breaths on my skin. Her nails scrabble against the skin of my arms, trying to release herself from my powerful hold, but nothing works. I taunt her, not even caring what everybody thinks of me now. If they're scared of me, then good; because they should be. I haven't drawn blood from Katniss yet, but if we stay like this for too much longer, it will happen. I can guarantee it. I hear thunderous footsteps and see the fiery flash of Finch's hair and then see a massive form following her.

"Clove!" a deep voice yells.

I don't react until whoever came in with Finch wraps their arms around me and carries my thrashing, writhing body out the back door of the change rooms and then puts me down on a bench rather gently.

Then, without warning, the tears make their way through my lashes and fall into my lap.


	6. Chapter 6

A strong arm falls onto my shoulders, squeezing them tightly until I've stopped crying. I look up into Cato's piercing blue eyes and he pulls me in closer to him, kissing me as he does so.

"What were you thinking?" asks quietly, his chin resting gently on my head.

"I just couldn't put up with what she was saying," I reply, my voice thick with tears.

"What was she saying?"

"She was saying you didn't love me," I say like a little kid, looking up at his ice-blue eyes. "Is that true?"

"Of course not Clove, I love you," he replies quietly.

"Then why did she say it?" I ask.

"Because I made a mistake once, and it's haunted me ever since."

"What did you do?"

"Clove, I don't really know how to tell you this, but… I killed someone once."

"But-"

"It happened six years ago, when I still had some anger issues. A few friends and I, we made this tower of food, and it was really cool. To us, I mean. And this guy, his name was Brent. He was smart, sure, but sometimes he made really stupid mistakes. He'd put some fireworks around the base of this kind of pyramid thing, and we pretended that they were bombs and that we had to go in a certain way or we'd die. Anyway, we also had some others things in the stack besides food, and one of them was a magnifying glass, and he'd put it on the top of the pile, and it was a really sunny day, and the sun was shining right through the magnifying glass. None of us noticed it, but the sun was going right onto the fuse of one of the fireworks, and it went off, and so did all the others. It destroyed all the stuff, and we'd bought all of it with our own money, and I just got pissed with him for it, that I snapped his neck. The police came to take me away and send me to juvi, and that's when I started weightlifting. Some of the older guys did it, and I decided that I wanted to do it as well. I was the best out of all of them, and some of those guys were seventeen, and I was only twelve. Changed my life in there, it did. I had to stay there for five years, but I'm lucky I didn't have to go to jail. They believed that I was mentally unstable, and that I'd just had a panic attack and thought he was a giant mutated wolf out to get me. I'm not crazy, though, that's just the story they told the court. Please don't think I'm going to hurt you, it's just that I wasn't thinking straight and this guy really got on my nerves."

"It's OK, I mean, I almost killed Katniss back there, but you stopped me. Thankyou."

"They would've thrown you out if you had, and I want to know the real you. Come on, they're probably about to start, and you're not even dressed."

We don't say any more, just go back to the change rooms and I'm about to get changed when I notice Cato still standing there.

"I'm already dressed, I'm just waiting for you," he says with a cheeky grin.

I don't really care that he's about to see me in my underwear, I just want to get changed quickly so I can get out there and release my anger on a medicine ball or something that's not going to hurt anyone. I quickly pull off my hi-tops and socks, and then my pants and slip into my shorts, then quickly change my tank top, and slip into my other socks and my sneakers, then we run out the door together, a few moments before Atala steps onto a small podium in the middle of the gym to begin speaking.

"Congratulations," she says. "You have been selected as some of the most talented young athletes in America to come here and train for one month. You will have six days of training per week here and at the various locations of your sports, and you will have Sundays free to do what you want. Any questions so far?" Nobody speaks, so she continues. "Every afternoon except Sunday you will come here for three hours of training, and you will also have four hours of training for your individual sports in the mornings." She pauses for a moment and looks us all over before continuing. "I'll give you all ten minutes to warm yourselves up and then we'll get into it. Off you go."

After warm up, we train hard for the next two and a quarter hours before Atala calls everyone back to the centre. She stands back up onto her podium and speaks to us again.

"There is half an hour of training left," she tells us. "I am going to set you a challenge, and by the end of this month, you should have reached the goal I am about to get you to set. Over the course of this month, you will aim to achieve a goal of both time and weight in a crucifix hold." She lets this news sink in, and then she gives us some instructions. "I'm going to put you all into groups of about four or five, then give each group a sheet of paper and a pen for you to write down your goal. After you've done that, you will come back into this group again and I will time each of you with whatever weight you put down as your goal. I will now tell you all your groups and one person from each group will come forward to collect their papers. You will also have to come up with a group name. The first group is made up of Marvel, Glimmer, Cato and Clove. One of you come up now to collect your sheet and then find your own space and set your goals."

Marvel steps forward to collect our sheet, but Cato shoves past him, clearly demonstrating his dominance in the group. We go to a corner of the room and try to decide on a name.

"What about Team Awesome?" Glimmer says in a ditsy voice. I snicker and she turns on me, glaring at me fiercely. "And what's wrong with the name I chose?"

"It's stupid," I reply, hands on my hips.

"I agree with Clove," Cato says, coming to stand by my side. He puts one arm around my waist and squeezes it gently. "The name's stupid." Marvel stays silent, but I can tell he's siding with Glimmer, by the cocky grin on his face.

"What about the Careers?" I say hopefully.

"I like it," Cato says. "We're called the Careers." He hesitates before writing down the name, and hands me the pen and paper for me to write down everything.

"I'm going to try for ten kilos for two minutes," Cato says confidently.

"I'll go for seven and a half kilos for two and a half minutes," Marvel says arrogantly. I've decided that I don't like him. He's too cocky for my liking.

"I think I'll do five kilos for one minute forty-five," Glimmer says, like she thinks it's a big deal.

"What about you, Clove?" Cato says.

"Ummm, I think I'll try and do eight kilos for two minutes," I say nervously.

"That's what I like to see," Atala says from behind me, "someone really pushing themselves. Don't forget that you can always change your goals if you want to." She takes our paper and we all return to the middle of the gym to have our times recorded. We're called up one by one, group by group. Our group's last, and Atala calls Glimmer up first, and she posts a time of 47 seconds. Marvel goes up next, and records a time of one minute, seven seconds. Cato's up next and he manages to hold up for one minute thirty-seven. I'm the last person to go, and I step up nervously and Atala hands me the two weights and I begin.

After about forty seconds, my arms start to burn, and they drop a fraction, and it takes all my willpower to not drop them right then. I manage to hold on for another thirty or so seconds before my arms drop like lead balloons and the weights fall to the floor with loud thuds. I walk back to the others and we're dismissed, so we all wander to the change rooms to get changed and head back out to the bus. Just before I reach the door, I bump into Katniss. She jumps away from me, but I grab her arm and give her a small smile. She relaxes slightly, but doesn't take her eyes off me for a moment.

"Listen," I say, "sorry about before. I just lost control. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright?"

"A bit shaken, but I'll be fine. I've gone through a lot worse."

"I've got to make it up to you somehow. There must be something I can do."

"If I ever need a favour, I'll come find you," she says with a laugh.

We walk into the change rooms smiling and chatting, and everyone looks at us as we walk in, but I don't care.

Because I've finally made a friend.


End file.
